SPRINGFIELD - State Senator Paul Faraci’s measure to allow local government agencies, including law enforcement, to receive grant money for harm reduction deflection programs was signed into law.

“Many times there are circumstances where the best thing that can happen to a person is being admitted into a deflection program that avoids spending the night in jail,” said Faraci (D-Champaign). “I am a firm believer that people struggling with mental health and substance use disorder should have an alternative to sitting in jail.”

The new law will allow law enforcement and other first responder agencies to create deflection programs in partnership with licensed providers of substance use disorder treatment and other community members and organizations. The programs are designed to connect persons with substance use and mental health disorders with treatment instead of arrest or other involvement with the criminal justice system.

CHAMPAIGN – State Senator Paul Faraci is urging agencies across Champaign and Vermilion Counties to apply for Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grants.

“Public parks give our community a great place to go to spend time with their families,” said Faraci (D-Champaign). “This state funding is extremely important for the upkeep of our local parks.”

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources will be accepting applications for Open Space Land Acquisition and Development, or OSLAD, grants through Aug. 31.

The program offers state-financed funding assistance to local governmental agencies for acquisition and/or development of land for public parks and outdoor recreation areas. A total of $56 million is available for this round of OSLAD grants. In addition, IDNR will once again provide funding to cover 100% of eligible projects located in economically distressed communities.

Applications are being accepted through Aug. 31 and should be submitted to IDNR. For more information on the OSLAD program, visit IDNR’s website.

CHAMPAIGN - Senator Paul Faraci and Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs teamed up to return $47,000 in cash from two forgotten PayPal accounts to a small business owner in Champaign. The two accounts were part of roughly 360,000 unclaimed PayPal accounts the Illinois Treasurer has received in recent years and is safeguarding for as long as it takes to find their rightful owners.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, driving local job creation and ensuring the economic stability of our state,” said Faraci (D-Champaign). “This story demonstrates the immense value Treasurer Frerichs’ unclaimed property program has for Illinois residents and businesses alike.”

Treasurer Frerichs safeguards billions in unclaimed property, including more than $51 million that remains to be claimed in Champaign County and over $20 million in Vermilion County. Most of the unclaimed assets belong to individuals and originate from forgotten bank accounts, unclaimed life insurance benefits and other investments. However, Treasurer Frerichs currently safeguards more than 360,000 PayPal accounts as well, which often belong to small businesses and nonprofit organizations that relied on companies like PayPal for internet purchases and donations.

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CHAMPAIGN – Building upon the smart infrastructure investments supported by Senator Paul Faraci, the Illinois Department of Transportation announced an additional $200 million in road and bridge improvement projects is coming to Champaign and Vermilion Counties.

“Fixing our roads and bridges is good for the safety of our community and our local economy,” said Faraci (D-Champaign). “It’s good to see IDOT giving our area a fair share of the taxpayer dollars that go into infrastructure improvements.”

As part of IDOT’s latest Multi-Year Plan under Rebuild Illinois, the district Faraci represents will see 51 infrastructure projects totaling $201,626,000 over the next six years.

Some of the most vital projects coming to the area include:

• 7.24 miles of repaving and repairs to I-74 between US-150 and the Illinois/Indiana border.
• 3 miles of ADA improvements and repaving to US-45/Neil St. from Springfield Ave. in Champaign to Curtis Rd. in Savoy.
• 1.76 miles of repaving and median repair on US-136 between Rantoul Foods and Broadmeadow Elementary School.